Perfect multi-plastic bag holder

ABSTRACT

A conforming to the human hand rigid gadget to protect shoppers hands from the puncturing plastic handles of conventional carry out plastic bags (supermarket, department stores, etc) while heavy with contents, attachable and detachable at will, in the form of a tubular gadget with a longitudinal opening, to introduce the handles of the plastic bag(s) being carried, long enough to conform to the lower perimeter of the plastic bag(s) handles and able to sustain several bags carrying merchandise without breaking. Its thickness, also in conformity with the holding hand for a for a pleasant holding. For the same purpose a variation of the above gadget would be an elongated rounded tool, like a small stick made out of any strong material, long enough to permit the hanging of conventional (supermarket or department stores) plastic bags with merchandise, several bags in some instances, on both sides of the grabbing hand and built in the shape or with the necessary guards to prohibit the slipping and falling of such bags.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

“The Perfect Multi-Plastic Bag Holder”.

A simple solution to a common bothersome nuisance to shoppers: Hurtfulhands. Through out history, bags of different types and materials havebeen used by humans to carry different items. Nowadays, same principleapplies, there are different types of bags for different type of uses.Taking this into consideration my invention is aimed specifically to bean accessory to the type of shopping and plastic bags given atsupermarkets, department stores and retail businesses in general tocarry out merchandise.

In reference to the conventional plastic bags in use nowadays in retailplaces . . . obviously they are a good solution to carry out merchandisespecially considering that they are cheap to manufacture, so cheap perunit that stores do not charge for them . . . they give them away forfree with the merchandise; also, so flat that almost occupy no volumeand when the contents are light and have to be carried a short distancethey are okay, but many times the bag or bags get heavy; stuff likesweaters, towels, bath robes, etc. weigh a lot, and adding to this thatmost of the time is very difficult to find a parking space close to theentrance of malls specially in Christmas season or sales events, that iswhen my invention is much needed.

In regards to grocery bags used in supermarkets, normally employees ofthe supermarket bag and put the groceries in carts for the convenienceof the customers that just have to push the carts through out theparking lot close to their cars and unload the groceries. To this pointeverything is fine but when they get home they have to unload and carrythe groceries by hand since there are no supermarket carts available tocarry the groceries for them and if we take into consideration thatmillions of people live in big complexes of apartments all over thecountry; in New York, San Francisco, Atlanta etc. in different floors ofthe building and the parking space assigned to them is in many instancesvery far from the apartment or condominium the obvious conclusion isthat all these people will benefit immensely with my invention that isfully described next.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Anyone familiar with shopping in supermarkets and/or department storeshave experienced the common, unpleasant and in many instances painfulsensation given to the hands by conventional plastic bags with heavycontents; such unpleasantness is obviously the result of the sharp,narrow edge of the bags' pressure at the point of contact with the hand.My invention solves the painful sensation in the fingers by simplyincreasing the point of contact between user's fingers and the plasticbag(s). As we know the point of contact is crucial. While carryingmedium to heavy stuff the thin plastic edges turn almost razor bladesharp and because it is kind of elastic it also squeezes the fingerstogether causing unnecessary pain. My invention is of the outmostimportance specially for the benefit of women because they are biggershoppers than men and also have more delicate skin and fingers.

The problem, obviously has many possible solutions being the cost of thegadget an important issue secondary just to the accomplishedpleasantness; so, my invention is geared to take care of the costproblem the cheapest way possible because I want the supermarkets anddepartment stores to offer the relief tools for free as an accessory tothe bags to the customers that request them.

I am plenty aware that there are different wrap around syntheticmaterials with velcro in the market used most commonly in gym and dufflebags handlers but there are two problems inherent to put this wraparound bands to the plastic bags: one is that these malleable materialsdo not work too well in this thin edged plastic bags; the carrier stillfeels and unpleasant sensation, maybe because by not been rigid enoughthey still squeeze the fingers, and a second problem is that sewingvelcro to the material adds to its cost, making it too expensive forretail businesses to give them away and if customers have to buy themmost probably they won't like to spend money in something that worksdeficiently, and is useless as soon as they get home.

My invention is the answer to such dilemma. Two simple tools; both areso cheap to manufacture (just a few cents per unit), that businesses canafford to give them away and either of them works excellent. One gadgetwould be in the form of a small channel, rounded in the outside as inFIG. 1 of the drawings, made out of rigid and strong material, over aninch thick and just long enough to accommodate the bottom edge of theplastic handles located on top of the bag, bordering over the hole wherethe carrier introduces the grabbing hand. Such handles after beinginserted into the gadget will sink and rest at its bottom. A variationwould be an elongated tool, like a little stick less than six incheslong made out of plastic, wood, strong foam or any other strongmaterial. Such tool for better functioning shall have a neck close toboth ends or a protuberance at its ends to secure the bags so they donot fall down. Either of these gadgets can hold several nylon bags withmerchandise at the same time.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 of the drawings is the tool of my invention in the shape of arounded channel with a longitudinal opening 1 to introduce the thin,sharp grabbing handles of the plastic bag(s) to make them harmless tothe hand holding the gadget.

FIG. 2 is a variation of tool of FIG. 1, an elongated gadget in the formof a stick, with just enough room on both sides of the holding hand tosustain bags with merchandise, with a narrowing 2 near both ends tosecure the bags in place so they do not slip or fall down.

FIG. 3 depicts gadget of figure one in the action of being grabbed bythe carrier's hand while holding two bags: a shopping bag 3 and aplastic bag 4 whose handles were previously inserted inside through theelongated opening. The point is that the gadget can hold bags ofdifferent denominations inside.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Customers carrying merchandise in conventional plastic bags, the type ofbags given by supermarkets, department stores and retail businesses ingeneral experience a very unpleasant and many times painful sensation inthe hand in the place where the fingers sustain the bag or bags withheavy contents. This is due to the plastic handles squeezing the fingerstogether while making contact in one thin, straight line along thefingers of the grabbing hand. My invention takes care of this painfulsensation in a very simple way; by expanding the contact of the hand toa broader, rounded and firmer area versus a linear and elastic point ofcontact.

Two different gadgets are the solution; either of them works just fine.Let us start by explaining tool of FIG. 1 of drawings: it is made in theshape of a rounded channel, of strong and rigid material: wood, plastic,strong foam, etc, just long enough to be able to accommodate the plasticgrabbing handles on top of the plastic bag (s). The shopper easilyintroduces the twin handles of each bag through the longitudinal opening1 of as many bags being carried. The only limitation in the number ofbags would be the added weight and bulk to the extent of impairing thewalking of the carrier. The hand of a person carrying such bags withoutthe gadget would experience a extreme discomfort but if the tool ispresent a surprisingly pleasant feeling, specially when its outside (thepart that the hand grabs) is covered with open cell foam. In an instantyou put it on and in an instant you take it off, it is that simple and asurprisingly positive particular peculiarity of this channeled tool isthat even when the shopper disengages the hand it remains in place, itdoes not fall to the ground as expected, this is due to the plastichandles expansion in the tubular interior keeping the tool in place.

Also, an undeniable advantage of this affixable multi-bag holderprotector gadget over permanently fixed to the bag hand protectors is aprecious premium space saving because a hand can not grab too manytubular tools at the same time; such would be the case if each bag had atubular fixed grasping, so it is easy to see that having just one tooldoing the job is the perfect solution.

It has not existed or exists in the market a tool with thecharacteristics of the tool of my invention such as its ability to beattached or detached at will, with the ability of a single tool beingable to hold at the same time several bags with heavy contents and indoing so, protecting the hand or hands of the carrier. Whoeverexperiences shopping with this gadget will never want to carry heavybags without it, specially a gadget that is covered with foam in theoutside that is just unbelievably comfortable.

Same situation in the case of tool of FIG. 2 an elongated gadget like astick made out of material strong enough to sustain the weight of heavybags without braking or much bending; any tool bigger than six incheswould be redundant and unnecessary. The hand of the carrier grabs themiddle of the gadget and several bags with merchandise can be hanged andcarried on both ends of the stick. Of course the limit would be addingtoo many bags as to impair walking due to the excessive bulk and weight.The narrowing 2 close to both ends of the gadget serves the purpose ofsecuring the plastic bags in place. So they do not slip and fall or slipin the direction of the hand causing discomfort to the carrier. In thedrawings the narrowing 2 serves as a guard but it could be any othermeans functioning as a guard.

I am very aware that there are wrap around bands with velcro materialused more frequently in duffle and gym bags, but to use them in theseplastic supermarket/department store nylon bags have two inherentproblems: one, such wrap around materials do not work well with theseplastic bags . . . when the contents are heavy they can not compare incomfort to the rigid gadgets as the ones of my invention. This was anobvious conclusion after several and different experiments done withvarious flexible and rigid materials and gadgets. Besides wrap aroundmaterials per se are too costly specially when velcro is added. So, Itis too costly for the retail places like supermarket and departmentstores to give them for free and if the customers have to pay for themmost likely they would not want to spend any money in something thatdoes not work well and will be discarded and thrown away as soon as theyget home. For these reasons I consider my gadgets definitely and withoutquestion, the perfect solution. The feeling is incredible and the costis just cents per unit; very much affordable for the retail stores togive away for the benefit of the general shopping public.

1. I claim that my invention intended to benefit supermarket, departmentstores and retail businesses shoppers in general consists of anattachable/detachable, rigid or semi rigid tool that conforms to thepalm and fingers of a semi-closed hand, with a lengthwise split end toend, a more appropriate description would be a tool in tubular form witha longitudinal opening, such opening for the purpose of introducing(engaging and disengaging) the handles of one or several standardplastic bags, (the ones given at supermarkets, department stores andretail outlets in general to carry out merchandise) protecting this wayshoppers from the puncturing plastic handles that being thin and elasticwhen carrying weight turn razor blade sharp, very unpleasant evenhurtful to the hands of the carrier, such gadget's longitudinal sizejust long enough to conform to the bottom perimeter of the handles ofsuch conventional plastic bags, its thickness also in conformation tothe hand for a pleasant grabbing
 2. The attachability and detachabilityof tool of claim 1 to plastic and shopping bags through out alongitudinal opening in any shape or form.
 3. Tool of claim 1 thatinstead of a longitudinal opening is in tubular form and has a means toassemble and disassemble longitudinally (two elongated hemispheres), tohold inside the plastic handles at will.
 4. Tool of claim 1 where foamor any other soft material, contoured or not, is added to the outside ofthe gadget for more pleasant handling in consideration to women shopperswith more delicate fingers.
 5. Tool of claim 1 where the longitudinalopening widens at one or both ends for easier inserting of the bags'handles.
 6. The attaching and detaching of tool of claim 1 through outany means.
 7. Tool of claim 1 by no means restricted to covering justconventional plastic bags but also covering its use in other type ofbags, suitcases, bundles or utensils with sharp handles.
 8. A variationof tool of claim 1 in the form of a little stick made out of anymaterial strong enough to support bags with merchandise hanging on bothends while the carrier's hand is grabbing its middle section, with builtin means to prohibit the nylon bags to slip or fall to the ground.
 9. Atool blending specifications of claims 1 and 6 in one single gadget. 10.A tool where the hand grabbing and the suspension of the bags are indifferent connected means.